Paying Attention: Today’s marketing and personal/social media world is perhaps way too heavily invested in branding–and not always for the right reasons. There are corporate brands, brand values, brand initiatives, and personal brands (when I hear professional athletes talk about their personal brand, it seems pretty ridiculous to me; just because you can hit a three point shot does not mean that you will influence me at all in my selection of a car, stock, airline, or medicine…and never forget, your brand as an athlete is generally only as good as your last season or, more critically, last game in the playoffs, and then only/maybe for shoes and athletic wear/gear).
Branding is not a five minute or one semester course. Great brands are built over years and decades, even though they can be destroyed in minutes or weeks. Great brands are Nike, Apple, Coca-Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Tiffany, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari. Each of these brands have concrete attributes that most people can name and that are consistent across the markets of the world.
With that in mind, press to play a rather sharp video on generic branding produced–astutely and correctly–with stock footage. You’ve heard it all before and that’s what makes the video so powerful. ( This clip courtesy YouTube. )
NOTE: We ran the same video yesterday–April Fool’s Day–without the pre-amble above…it seemed appropriate then, but it’s also appropriate enough to run again. The key to the post was the phrase “Perfect for Today’s Expectations”…..it had a one day shelf life.
Malaysia Airlines Flt. 370: ClickPak 1 April
Press Clippings: A variety of the latest press stories from around the world on missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
Last words from cockpit (Source: CNN)
Ping Detector from US Navy Moved To Search Area (Source: cbsnews.com)
Malaysia Airlines Cockpit Transcript (Source: USA Today)
Deliberate Act Possible in Malaysia Airlines FT. 370 (Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
Search for Missing Plane Could Take Years (Source: Slate.com)
What’s In The Black Box? (Source: DonaldPierce.Com)
Reading List: Monocle Magazine
Paying Attention: Tyler Brûlé is one of the best minds in publishing, which is an inherently interesting industry that needs all the fresh minds it can gather in these days of digital downloads and low reading comprehension aspirations.
Brûlé’s work first came to notice with the rather spectacular big-format glossy Wallpaper, which debuted in 1996 .While he Published and Edited Wallpaper (the magazine was ultimately sold to Time Warner in 1997 but Brûlé stayed on as editorial director until 2002), it was one of the very best publications of any kind in the world, most notable for it’s extremely sharp headlines, wide-bandwidth editorial, and innovative design. After Brûlé left Wallpaper, the publication–while still formidable–was never quite the same as when his spirit and attitude infused the editorial, missing some editorial liveliness and range.
The evolution of Wallpaper itself is worthy of deeper coverage but that shall have to wait for another time. Today the focus is on what Brûlé is currently doing and that is Monocle, a thick bi-monthly publication that takes a global view of modern life. A rather brilliant essay on Monocle popped up in the National Review Online. Kevin D. Williamson does an excellent view of de-constructing the Monocle business model and editorial approach. Like the magazine itself, it’s very much worth your time.
Brûlé
Jon Stewart On CNN’s FLT 370 Coverage
Paying Attention: It’s no secret that on this site, we have a viewpoint on what’s going on with TV news–especially CNN–regarding the Malaysia Airlines Flt. 370 disaster/catastrophe/mystery. We covered that particular topic just about 10 days ago, in the post “The Good News About Bad News”. Now, the big hitters have jumped in, including one of the very biggest, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart, who used his TV platform to take CNN’s often breathless coverage to task. Typical Stewart: sharp, correct, pointed, and very, very timely. Well your time and attention. (Clip courtesy YouTube/Comedy Central)
Jon Stewart On CNN's FLT 370 Coverage
Paying Attention: It’s no secret that on this site, we have a viewpoint on what’s going on with TV news–especially CNN–regarding the Malaysia Airlines Flt. 370 disaster/catastrophe/mystery. We covered that particular topic just about 10 days ago, in the post “The Good News About Bad News”. Now, the big hitters have jumped in, including one of the very biggest, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart, who used his TV platform to take CNN’s often breathless coverage to task. Typical Stewart: sharp, correct, pointed, and very, very timely. Well your time and attention. (Clip courtesy YouTube/Comedy Central)
The Breaking News Epidemic
Editor’s Note: This piece was originally published in 2015 but is just as timely–perhaps even more timely–today than when it was first released. We are going into a period of extended “breaking news” interruptions due to the chaos in Washington and the 2020 Election Year Cycle, so it’s not a bad idea to revisit the original piece and to inform critical thinking that can differentiate between a news item that is truly important and worth of the “breaking news” tag, or just a blatant attempt to gain clicks or viewers. Sometimes the best way to understand the future is to look at the past. …
Paying Attention: No doubt, we know precisely where the current “breaking news” /”breaking alert” epidemic started: September 11th, 2001. On that day, every news channel and every broadcast station was bombarded with news, news feeds, photos, videos, interviews, theories, conflicting reports about the Twin Towers attack. So much information was coming in so fast and from so many different sources, and the market was so hungry for it, that each new story line was branded as one of “breaking news”–a category of news status that is reserved for the highest, latest, most important information. In the past, breaking news stories were those stories big and important enough to “break into” existing broadcasting programming with short segments on the event in focus–one that was frequently in progress even as the news story covering it was running.
One of the most famous such stories in modern history was when CBS News and Walter Cronkite broke the news with a CBS News Bulletin about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But, it was 911 that brought the “Breaking News” label back into popular media deployment (along with the bottom headline ticker, introduced so that multiple streams of information could be delivered simultaneously on a television screen) and as news producers, directors and editors learned that the breaking news label had the power to gather more attention (and ratings), “Breaking News” went from something really, really important to a label applied to some rather mundane stuff. And, of course, as is the case with anything that is over-used, the public gets numb after a while and “Breaking News” as a label of importance suffers importance degradation.
The most egregious promoters of “Breaking News” overuse are–who else–the folks at Fox News, who continuously run “News Alert” and “Breaking News” labels continuously on their telecasts. Roger Alies, the head of Fox News, is the best in the business but he has a tabloid attitude–one no doubt inherited from his boss, the one-and-only Rupert Murdoch, a tabloid newspaperman without peer in our time.
The problem with “breaking news” and “news alerts” heading is the same problem laid out decades ago in the fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. If you do it too much, do it too often, do it for stories large and stories small, then soon enough your audience (market) becomes numb to the heading and the words and their meaning just become digital wallpaper on the screen, without significance because they are present on every show, and on every screen.
Breaking News works best when it’s important, necessary, urgent. A little restraint on news producer’s part would salvage the power of this prime communications tool. But–we do not live in an era of restraint and, ultimately, it is up to you–the viewer–to determine whether the item scrolling along the bottom of the screen or cutting into “regularly scheduled program in progress” is really breaking news or just a programming gimmick.
The Breaking News Epidemic
Paying Attention: No doubt, we know precisely where the current “breaking news” /”breaking alert” epidemic started: September 11th, 2001. On that day, every news channel and every broadcast station was bombarded with news, news feeds, photos, videos, interviews, theories, conflicting reports about the Twin Towers attack. So much information was coming in so fast and from so many different sources, and the market was so hungry for it, that each new story line was branded as one of “breaking news”–a category of news status that is reserved for the highest, latest, most important information. In the past, breaking news stories were those stories big and important enough to “break into” existing broadcasting programming with short segments on the event in focus–one that was frequently in progress even as the news story covering it was running.
One of the most famous such stories in modern history was when CBS News and Walter Cronkite broke the news with a CBS News Bulletin about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But, it was 911 that brought the “Breaking News” label back into popular media deployment (along with the bottom headline ticker, introduced so that multiple streams of information could be delivered simultaneously on a television screen) and as news producers, directors and editors learned that the breaking news label had the power to gather more attention (and ratings), “Breaking News” went from something really, really important to a label applied to some rather mundane stuff. And, of course, as is the case with anything that is over-used, the public gets numb after a while and “Breaking News” as a label of importance suffers importance degradation.
The most egregious promoters of “Breaking News” overuse are–who else–the folks at Fox News, who continuously run “News Alert” and “Breaking News” labels continuously on their telecasts. Roger Alies, the head of Fox News, is the best in the business but he has a tabloid attitude–one no doubt inherited from his boss, the one-and-only Rupert Murdoch, a tabloid newspaperman without peer in our time.
The problem with “breaking news” and “news alerts” heading is the same problem laid out decades ago in the fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. If you do it too much, do it too often, do it for stories large and stories small, then soon enough your audience (market) becomes numb to the heading and the words and their meaning just become digital wallpaper on the screen, without significance because they are present on every show, and in every screen.
Breaking News works best when it’s important, necessary, urgent. A little restraint on news producer’s part would salvage the power of this prime communications tool. But–we do not live in an era of restraint and, ultimately, it is up to you–the viewer–to determine whether the item scrolling along the bottom of the screen or cutting into “regularly scheduled program in progress” is really breaking news or just a programming gimmick.
What’s In The Black Box ?
Reprise: Over a year ago, we published an article on the “black box” that contains flight data on airlines and the data it would contain. The article was produced in response to the massive coverage around the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flt.370. One year later, that plane is still missing, and, tragically, the world is learning about a new air disaster and another hunt for another black box. Here’s the original post….a quick scan of the data parameters it collects will give a much more thorough understanding of what the “black box” is always so important.
Paying Attention: With INMARSAT providing information that predicts that Malaysia Flt. 370 did, indeed, go down in the South Indian Ocean, the hunt now narrows down to two elements: find the debris field for the airplane in the sharply restricted area laid out by satellite analysis and then find the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the “black box” or Flight Data Acquisition Unit (FDAU). Both units should be with the wreckage of the plane. The “black box”–which is not actually black but colored international orange to make visual location easier–records at least 88 different flight parameters and sometimes more, depending upon the configuration of the FDAU, the airplane, and the systems installed. Over the next few weeks there will be an intense amount of media coverage on the “black box” and its contents, but you can get way ahead of the game if you just read the list below, which details the flight parameters that an FDAU will contain. After you take a look at the data involved in flight, you’ll have a new appreciation for just how complex a modern airliner is and the skill level of the pilots who fly them. Here’s the list, sourced from the Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute:
1. Time
2. Pressure altitude
3. Indicated Airspeed
4. Heading
5. Normal (Vertical) acceleration
6. Pitch attitude
7. Roll attitude
8. Manual Radio Keyeing
9. Autopilot engagement status
10. Thrust or Power of Each Engine (Pilot Reference)
11.Longitudinal Acceleration
12. Pitch Control Input
13. Lateral Control Input
14. Rudder Control Input
15.Primary Pitch Control Surface Position
16.Primary Lateral Control Surface Position
17.Primary Yaw Control Surface Position
18.Lateral acceleration
19.Pitch Trim Surface Position
20. Trailing Edge Flap or Cockpit Flap Control Selection
21.Leading Edge Flap or Cockpit Flap Control Selection
22.Each Thrust Reverser Position
23.Ground Spoiler Position or Speed Brake Position
24. Outside air temperature
25. Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS) Modes and Engagement Status, including Autothrottle
26. Radio Altitude
27. Localizer Deviation, MLS Azimuth
28. Glideslope Deviation, MLS Elevation
29. Marker Beacon Passage
30. Master Warning
31. Air/Ground Sensor
32. Angle of Attack
33. Hydraulic Pressure Low (for each system)
34. Ground Speed
35. Ground Proximity Warning System
36. Landing Gear position or landing gear cockpit control selection
37. Drift Angle
38. Wind speed and direction
39. Lattitude and longitude
40. Stick shaker/pusher
41. Windshear
42. Throttle/power level position
43. Additional engine parameters
44. Traffic alert and collision avoidance system
45. DME 1 and 2 distances
46. Nav 1 and 2 Selected Frequency
47. Selected Barometer Setting
48. Selected altitude
49. Selected Speed
50. Selected mach
51. Selected vertical speed
52. Selected heading
53. Selected flight path
54. Selected decision height
55. EFIS Display Format
56. Multi-function/engine/alerts display format
57. Thrust command
58. Thrust Target
59. Fuel Quantity
60.Primary Navigation System Reference
61. Icing
62. Engine warning each engine vibration
63. Engine warning each engine over temperature
64. Engine warning each engine oil pressure
65. Engine warning each engine over speed
66. Yaw trim surface position
67. Roll trim surface position
68. Brake pressure
69. Brake pedal application
70. Yaw or side slip angle
71. Engine bleed valve position
72. De-icing or anti-icing system selection
73. Computed center of gravity
74. AC electrical bus status
75. DC electrical bus status
76. APU bleed valve position
77. Hydraulic pressure for each system
78. Loss of cabin pressure
79. Computer failure
80. Heads up display
81. Para-visual display
82. Cockpit trim control input position-pitch
83. Cockpit trim control input position-roll
84. Cockpit trim control input position-yaw
85. Trailing edge flap and cockpit flap control position
86. Leading edge flap and cockpit flap control position
87. Ground spoiler position and speed brake selection
88. All cockpit flight control input forces (control wheel, control column, rudder pedal)
89. Yaw damper status
90. Yaw damper command
91. Standby rudder valve status
Source: Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute, 14 CFR 121.344 Digital Flight Data Recorders for Transport Category Airplanes
Originally published on 26 March 2014.
What's In The Black Box ?
Reprise: Over a year ago, we published an article on the “black box” that contains flight data on airlines and the data it would contain. The article was produced in response to the massive coverage around the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flt.370. One year later, that plane is still missing, and, tragically, the world is learning about a new air disaster and another hunt for another black box. Here’s the original post….a quick scan of the data parameters it collects will give a much more thorough understanding of what the “black box” is always so important.
Paying Attention: With INMARSAT providing information that predicts that Malaysia Flt. 370 did, indeed, go down in the South Indian Ocean, the hunt now narrows down to two elements: find the debris field for the airplane in the sharply restricted area laid out by satellite analysis and then find the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the “black box” or Flight Data Acquisition Unit (FDAU). Both units should be with the wreckage of the plane. The “black box”–which is not actually black but colored international orange to make visual location easier–records at least 88 different flight parameters and sometimes more, depending upon the configuration of the FDAU, the airplane, and the systems installed. Over the next few weeks there will be an intense amount of media coverage on the “black box” and its contents, but you can get way ahead of the game if you just read the list below, which details the flight parameters that an FDAU will contain. After you take a look at the data involved in flight, you’ll have a new appreciation for just how complex a modern airliner is and the skill level of the pilots who fly them. Here’s the list, sourced from the Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute:
1. Time
2. Pressure altitude
3. Indicated Airspeed
4. Heading
5. Normal (Vertical) acceleration
6. Pitch attitude
7. Roll attitude
8. Manual Radio Keyeing
9. Autopilot engagement status
10. Thrust or Power of Each Engine (Pilot Reference)
11.Longitudinal Acceleration
12. Pitch Control Input
13. Lateral Control Input
14. Rudder Control Input
15.Primary Pitch Control Surface Position
16.Primary Lateral Control Surface Position
17.Primary Yaw Control Surface Position
18.Lateral acceleration
19.Pitch Trim Surface Position
20. Trailing Edge Flap or Cockpit Flap Control Selection
21.Leading Edge Flap or Cockpit Flap Control Selection
22.Each Thrust Reverser Position
23.Ground Spoiler Position or Speed Brake Position
24. Outside air temperature
25. Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS) Modes and Engagement Status, including Autothrottle
26. Radio Altitude
27. Localizer Deviation, MLS Azimuth
28. Glideslope Deviation, MLS Elevation
29. Marker Beacon Passage
30. Master Warning
31. Air/Ground Sensor
32. Angle of Attack
33. Hydraulic Pressure Low (for each system)
34. Ground Speed
35. Ground Proximity Warning System
36. Landing Gear position or landing gear cockpit control selection
37. Drift Angle
38. Wind speed and direction
39. Lattitude and longitude
40. Stick shaker/pusher
41. Windshear
42. Throttle/power level position
43. Additional engine parameters
44. Traffic alert and collision avoidance system
45. DME 1 and 2 distances
46. Nav 1 and 2 Selected Frequency
47. Selected Barometer Setting
48. Selected altitude
49. Selected Speed
50. Selected mach
51. Selected vertical speed
52. Selected heading
53. Selected flight path
54. Selected decision height
55. EFIS Display Format
56. Multi-function/engine/alerts display format
57. Thrust command
58. Thrust Target
59. Fuel Quantity
60.Primary Navigation System Reference
61. Icing
62. Engine warning each engine vibration
63. Engine warning each engine over temperature
64. Engine warning each engine oil pressure
65. Engine warning each engine over speed
66. Yaw trim surface position
67. Roll trim surface position
68. Brake pressure
69. Brake pedal application
70. Yaw or side slip angle
71. Engine bleed valve position
72. De-icing or anti-icing system selection
73. Computed center of gravity
74. AC electrical bus status
75. DC electrical bus status
76. APU bleed valve position
77. Hydraulic pressure for each system
78. Loss of cabin pressure
79. Computer failure
80. Heads up display
81. Para-visual display
82. Cockpit trim control input position-pitch
83. Cockpit trim control input position-roll
84. Cockpit trim control input position-yaw
85. Trailing edge flap and cockpit flap control position
86. Leading edge flap and cockpit flap control position
87. Ground spoiler position and speed brake selection
88. All cockpit flight control input forces (control wheel, control column, rudder pedal)
89. Yaw damper status
90. Yaw damper command
91. Standby rudder valve status
Source: Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute, 14 CFR 121.344 Digital Flight Data Recorders for Transport Category Airplanes
Originally published on 26 March 2014.
Malaysia Airlines Flt. 370: ClickPak 24 March
Press Clippings: The information landscape on Flt. 370 is changing by the hour, as satellite analysis determines the plane went down in the Southern Indian Ocean with the conclusion that no one survived the crash. Here’s a good source list for deep background today, 24 March 2014.
Flt. 370 Ended in Southern Indian Ocean (Source: CBS News)
How Math Helped Find An Earlier Plane Crash (Source: BBC)
Pre-Crash Malaysia Airlines Economic Performance: Not Good. (Source: Business Week/Bloomberg)
Families Told No One Survived (Source: NBC News)
Flaws in Flight Tracking: How A Plane Can Disappear (Source: Scientific America)
Malaysia Airlines Continues Streak of Bad PR: Breaks Crash News to Families via Text (Source: Gawker)